Blood, the last hunt
by d-nabiki
Summary: Oni, creatures who feast on human blood. Hunters, secret force kept by government to hunt Onis. Heero is a Hunter but his mission is not solely to eliminate the Onis. The last hunt is on. (AU, a little of gore)
1. Prologue

Notes: Seen Blood The Last Vampire before? This fic is very loosely based on it. Although some details are about the same, I have taken the liberty to change the timeline, the characters and even the plot. The story takes place in our time unlike the animation, and it takes place in a nameless part of America. Hope you enjoy.

**Prologue**

The air was soaked in the metallic tinge of blood. He could smell it.

The night was eerily dark. The light from the lamppost was just adequate to navigate about the sleazy street. Paint was splashed on the graffiti-filled walls, the colors in shades of orangey-grey. The words and graphics were angry and vulgar, the young rebels of the town. The concrete path was slightly wet, occasionally, puddles of water fill up the dents on the ground. It was hard to tell the color of it. He turned into the first alley on the way down.

The sense was the strongest here but stagnant. It was the first kill of the night. The body laid unnaturally in the corner of the alley. Its legs were bent at the knees, pressed down by its thighs; its arms were twisted seemingly painful behind its own body. The body was lying face up, face marred by fear beyond recognition. He bowed slightly to the body and walked out of the alley, down the slope of the street.

He was losing time with that small distraction at the alley. He would lose its trail soon if he did not speed up. He broke into a run. He would be damned if he lose it this time round. He never failed a mission before and this was not going to be a first. He admitted last night was a flop but if it makes another kill this night, he would fail.

He caught a whiff of it, it was faint but persistent, a sure sign of its presence. He stopped in his tracks, turning towards the direction it was coming from, a residential building. A damn brick garden full of its living preys. He walked up the steps cautiously, weapon secured in his hand. A passenger lift was closing its doors. He forced his way in throwing his body onto the lift door. It opened and he stalked into the lift. The young lady looked at him and smiled. He glared back. There were three people in the lift, including him.

The young lady had dark blonde hair, tied up in a ponytail. She had on a plain white knee length dress and a brown button jacket worn unbuttoned over it. The other passenger was a slightly elder woman, glasses worn slightly off, resting on the bridge of her nose, she had on a bright floral print dress, a shawl draped on both of her shoulders. She held an umbrella in her right hand and looked up on the level indicator. The lift moved up.

He drew his weapon closer to him. Any moment soon...

The lift shook a little. And the elder lady screamed. The young lady went forward to hold the woman up. Then, the lights went out.

Now! He drew out the sword from its sheath, a case grey in color, of the same width as the handle of the blade, and forced it into the stomach of the elder woman with one hand. Blood spurted out of the big wound as she screamed in pain and shuddered violently in the dark.

Its form was evolving back. Mission accomplished.

The lift lit up again as the lift door opened. The young woman looked at the blood in front of her and was about to shriek when he covered her mouth with his clean hand. The woman turned her face upwards, looking with fear-filled eyes at him.

"I am not going to hurt you." He said as he dragged her out of the lift, "You don't scream when I let go."

He removed his hands from the woman who had nodded her head in response.

"You...you killed her! Why? Why!" She sobbed out as soon as the hand was off. She was near tears. He was surprised she feared him no more.

"She's not one of you." He pointed towards the contorting body in the lift. It was not in the form of human anymore. A hideous monster was in its place.

The floral dress, shawl and glasses were gone. A sickly green colored skin covered the body resembling a slightly deformed human body. The body was bony but with a huge tummy, its arms and legs were long, webby fingers and toes sprawled open on the floor of the lift, its claw glint dangerously in the indoor lights. Blood was smeared on the walls and floor of the lift. She did not dare to look at the creature in the face.

But she forced herself anyway. A peek between the fingers, she sneaked a look at the face. She tried to scream but a hand muffled her screaming.

"I told you not to scream, didn't I?" She struggled against him as he held onto her.

The face, it would be etched in her mind forever. The head was nearly bald with some hair growing out in the center of the greenish brown scalp. Its scaly, translucent eyelids covered its bulging eyes; there was no nose but only two holes where human nostrils should be. Its lips were thin and its teeth were slightly protruding. Thick saliva dripped steadily out of its mouth as it struggled to breathe. The skin was stretched on the bones of its face, making the overall look of it, worse than a monster out of a horror flick.

And then she fainted in his arms.

"Shit." He cursed as he threw her over his shoulder in a fireman carry and stalked down the stairs.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Heero looked at the woman lying unconscious at his feet in distaste.

"You are lucky I am not allowed to hurt the likes of you." He said, expression cold.

He took out a handkerchief from the back pockets of his pants and wiped the blood off of his sword and himself. Then, he sheathed it back and walk out of the building silently.

Another witness added to the list. He was getting bad at his job. Either that, or they were getting good at escaping him. He had to train himself up again. It was too close a shave before it could have did its seventh kill and after that, it could have been near impossible to catch it.

Creatures he hunts were called 'Oni'. These were monsters that feast on human blood. In daytime, they live like any other human being under their uncanny human disguise. They look, eat, talk, live and breathe like any other human being. When there is a full moon, they evolve back to their usual self to make seven kills in order to attain immortality of their kind to live as a creature of the dark for the rest of their lives, preying on unsuspecting humans every night. Otherwise, on other nights, they stay in their human form.

Death tolls in cities plagued by Onis were high.

Hunters of the Onis were becoming fewer. Some had fell victims to these creatures during their hunts. Others had allowed these creatures to make their seventh kill and in turn, killed by its stronger form.

It was inevitable.

"Was it a clean kill?" The young man leant on the car parked outside of the building.

Heero looked at the speaker.

"Quatre." He greeted. Stopping in his direction, he spoke up again, "One unconscious witness at the ground floor. The creature's in the lift at the eighth floor."

"So it was not. The clean up team will be here soon. I can take the witness in my car. You are done for today. Need a ride home?"

"No. I'll walk."

"Ok then, see you in the afternoon's debriefing."

Heero waved, back towards Quatre as he walked up the streets.

Those creatures would not quit now that their leader was gone. Today was just the second night of the full moon. The hunt was only beginning.

Like animals, Onis have pack leaders. Heero was assigned to kill off this pack in this part of the city. It was a mistake to kill the leader first. They were a bunch of fiercely loyal night creatures. They would die for their leader. Now, its pack members would be infuriated. They would be hunting in groups tomorrow, for more victims, and he was sure he would be the first one on the list. For cold blooded revenge.

He had to catch some sleep if he had to fight them all off the next night.

.ooooo.

Heero woke up with a start. Getting home was a fuzzy memory. He vaguely remembered taking a shower before sleeping. That was a comfort. He had not wanted any of the monster's blood on his bed sheet.

Groggily, he made it into the bathroom.

Changing into his uniform, he grabbed his wallet and keys off the table and went out of the house.

The route to the office was full of obstacles; construction roadblocks, traffic jams, drunk driver and reckless cyclists. He made it to the office in one piece, five minutes late. All thanks to his habit of leaving the house early.

He opened the door and was greeted by the sight of an empty room with Inspector Une tapping her pen impatiently very front of the meeting table.

"Inspector." He saluted.

Une nodded back and sighed, "Quatre had a late night talking to the witness and counseling her. So he will be late. The rest are, as usual, fashionably late."

Heero gave her an apologetic smile and sat down two seats apart from her right.

"Heero." Une spoke, "I heard last night's hunt was less than pleasant. What exactly happened?"

Heero snapped his head up at her. He gave some thoughts to last night's event before replying.

"It managed to shake me off its trail for a while before capturing him. One human fell victim to its attack while I lost him."

"And the previous five made it almost seven yesterday?"

It was rhetorical but Heero nodded anyway.

"Well, six is a better number than many more if it succeeded in its evolution." Une directed a sympathetic look at Heero, "It would have been worse."

That was Une's best effort at comforting so far. Heero nodded, not knowing what to say to that.

"Inspector!" The latecomer at the door greeted.

"Lieutenant Wufei. How pleasant of you to join us at this time."

Wufei huffed indignantly but he apologized anyway, "I am sorry, there had been some mixed up in the office below and a particular 'someone' was barging into the office with uniform, no visitor badge. They wanted someone with a certain authority to speak to him so I got called. However, it turned out that this person..."

Wufei stepped aside to reveal a man of age, at most twenty, dressed in leather jacket and pants, smiling gleefully at the both of them in the room.

"...Was supposed to be in the meeting with us today, instead of being 'human-barricaded', as he described, out of the building."

"Hi Inspector Une, err... " He looked at Heero, visibly stumped.

"Sergeant Yuy." Wufei helpfully prompted at his side.

"Oh, Sergeant Yuy!"

Both of them moved to the opposite of Heero and sat down. It was then, both Une and Heero gaped at the length of the braid that trailed after the new person.

The person sheepishly smiled at the both of them, cradling his hair in a protective mode.

"You are Lieutenant Duo Maxwell, right? The one the office at the west sent over to us to join our meeting today." Une asked.

Duo stood up and proffered his right hand at Une.

"Sorry I forgot to introduce myself. That's right, it's me, Lieutenant Duo Maxwell at your service."

Une took his hand and shook it with a firm hold. Duo winced slightly at the pressure. Though, it did escape Une's eyes that she had too strong a grip on him, but it amused Wufei and Heero to no end that Duo was struggling to retain his smile as his right hand continued to suffer abuse.

Finally, when it was relieved of its torture, Duo held it endearingly with his left hand under the table. Wufei flashed a knowing smile in Heero's direction. Heero replied with a smirk.

Someone knocked at the door and opened it.

"Oh, so sorry I am late!" It was Quatre. "I had no idea the thing with the witness took such a long time."

He was barely catching his breath as he sat in between Une and Heero. He looked about the room and paused at the direction of Duo.

"This is?"

"He's..." Before Une got to finish, Duo interrupted.

"Lieutenant Duo Maxwell! Just transferred from the office in the west district to this area to help out in the case. And you?" He grinned from ear to ear but no hand was offered. It seemed that he had learnt his lessons.

Quatre smiled, "Sergeant Quatre R. Winner. The 'clean-up' officer for the case."

If Une was unhappy about the interruption, she did not say a thing. Instead, she kicked off the meeting.

"We'll start the meeting. Is Sally going to be attending the meeting, Wufei?"

"She is busy at the forensics department. Seems like something new came up with one of its victim."

"Did it turn into one of its kind?" Duo asked, voice brimming with curiosity.

"I hope not." Quatre looked decidedly pale.

"I checked all the corpses. They were perfectly dead." Heero chipped in.

"Gross. You did that?" Duo made a disgusted face at Heero, which Heero blatantly ignored.

"It's part of the job description." Quatre grinned at Duo.

"Oh gosh, that must be the funniest thing I heard since morning!" Duo laughed at Quatre who was beaming at a successful joke.

"Ahem," Une cleared her throat loudly. Duo immediately forced his laughter down. "What happened Wufei?"

"One of the corpses was scratched before his blood ran dry, we suspect he could have caught the mutation before he died, so they are keeping a close on his corpse."

"That wouldn't be necessary." Heero said, "He was drained dry of any blood that could have caught the mutation, just contact his family and get over and done with."

"How would you know?" Duo looked at Heero who looked pointedly back. After a pregnant pause between them, Duo shuddered and changed his mind. "On second thoughts, I don't really want to know."

"Ok Yuy, I will inform Sally Po that." Wufei knew better than to doubt Heero. After all...

"So six victims accounted with death by accident, their families will be contacted. One of it was successfully killed. That's all for the debriefing. Any questions?" Une asked the four of them. All four shook their heads.

"We can go right into tonight's mission briefing then." Quatre supplied.

"So, what's gonna happen tonight?" Duo rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Heero raised an eyebrow at Duo who just stopped his antics to smiled and shrugged in reply.

"About today, our intelligence told us there are still seven of them out there. I am not sure if all of them will evolve to make their attack during full moon this month but it's better if we prepare for the five of them. Any suggestions? Sergeant Yuy?" Une looked at Heero expectantly.

"That will be adequate. I will be out in the head of the hunt. The others will just be in charge of protecting citizens. Quatre will clean up after I give the all clear signal, all as usual."

"Heero,"

Heero frowned. He did not like it when Une called him by his name. Usually, a favor was attached to it.

"There will be a slight change in plans tonight. Duo will be your immediate backup. He is experienced in these hunts. He and his partner did hunts in their districts." Une looked at him pleadingly.

"I don't need backups," especially not tonight. Heero left that part unsaid. Tonight would be dangerous. There will be more than the five their intelligence picked up and all of them will be targeting him. Another person will only serve to burden him.

Heero looked up at Duo expecting him to be angry. Only that Duo looked slightly hurt. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. Wufei rubbed his head on his palm resignedly. He expected that from Heero. Ever since Heero arrived in their district, Wufei's hunter's position had been reduced to office work. He held no grudge. The 24 stitches scar on his back serve a painful reminder as to why Heero requested him to be off the field.

He had been backup for Heero on his first mission since his transfer. But there had been a huge trouble when all of those monsters turn to target at Wufei instead of evading capture. Wufei was rendered useless by the time Heero got to him. Single-handedly, Heero killed all of them. The sight was horrible. Parts of bodies decorated the asphalt, blood splattered everywhere in dark puddles and Heero stood in the middle of it all, soaked in their blood, unharmed.

In his half conscious state, he had been persuaded by Heero to drink something before he was sent to the special ops' A. and E. He was immediately disinfected and stitched up, miraculous freed from mutation under a month's watch. That was when Wufei truly learnt of Heero. And he never interfered otherwise from then on. The scar on his back painfully reminded him of his place when Heero requested him off the field as soon as he recovered. Heero had been on the job alone ever since.

"It's different this time round, Heero. Seven in one hunt is far from the numbers you have been dealing with. We can't lose you while they are on a mad rampage. Take Duo with you. He's good at what he's doing, you know. He was highly recommended by the ups." Une pleaded.

"I won't be a burden. I know you are good. And that somehow you are immune to their mutation. I am not but I don't bleed easily in a fight. At most, I won't turn up until you call for me." Duo added.

"Heero, please. It would be a nice change to not make me worried for once." Quatre pleaded along.

Heero sighed. Wufei smirked. He had caved in. All thanks to Quatre's guilt trip.

"Only when I call." He said.

"I promise. Cross my heart." Duo beamed at Heero for all he's worth.

Heero sighed inwardly. Hopefully tonight, there would, at most, be twelve of them; he could handle nine, at least.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

* * *

"Heero!" Quatre was running after him.

Heero stopped and turned to face Quatre.

"Where are you doing in a such a hurry? The hunt won't be starting till the moon's out. And it's barely evening!"

"Anywhere there isn't a Maxwell around." Heero scowled.

"He's not that bad a person. What did he do?" Quatre said.

"He couldn't stop telling me how he good he is and how he can be trusted with the mission tonight."

He laughed, "I can say he's at least better than the witness you left me with."

"What about her?" Heero shot him a look of curiosity.

"And you have the cheek to ask. You know she kept me awake all night long?" said Quatre in a reprimanding tone.

Heero raised a skeptical brow.

"No, no! Not what you are thinking!" Quatre blushed as he blabbered on, (At this point, Heero raised another brow because it was obvious they were thinking among different lines.) "It's just that she wouldn't stop asking about us and what we do instead of showing any signs of trauma, like the usual witnesses. You would think a nurse like her, would at least be more concern about the whole idea of supernatural beings, rather than taking things in her stride."

"Did you make her sign a paper of secrecy?"

"You doubt my working ability? She was adamant about being forced to secrecy, but was dutifully convinced it was important to do so." Quatre smiled smugly; it had been a hard-earned victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Heero snorted.

"I am in charge of 'cleaning up' and I do a clean job of it." Quatre paused thoughtfully. "And, oh! You made me forget what I wanted to tell you in the first place! You know, in exchange for letting her sign the paper of secrecy, she wants me to pass you this."

Quatre stuffed a piece of paper onto Heero's hand. Heero looked at it, puzzled.

"You know, most of her questions about us were all about you!" Quatre winked at Heero and ran away leaving a stumped Heero, clutching the crumpled piece of paper.

He pried it open. Written on it was the person's telephone number and name. He eyed the note for a moment and threw it into the nearest dustbin.

* * *

Heero had on the darkest face he had in a while.

The person beside him was certainly oblivious to it as he chattered merrily turning the steering wheels of their vehicle with complete ease.

"We'll be so kicking their asses today man!" the merry tone was getting on his nerves.

"What do you mean by 'we'?" Heero said, "I told you no stepping in until I call for it."

"Don't fret about it. You _will_ need my help no matter what you like to think."

Heero turned to shoot him daggers with a sharp look. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for him, Duo was a responsible driver; he was focusing at the road in front of them, therefore unaware of his being the target of intense loathing.

"'Sides, i betcha heard about me and my partner all the way from West District? We were so good in our job the people at the office practically worship the ground we walked!"

Heero sighed, leaning his head closer to the window staring out at the slightly drizzling streets. He felt a headache coming up. It will be nightfall in an hour's time; he would need a plan, if he were to go against an unfavorable number, alone. No one, not even a superb hunter like Duo, had to be involved. All the while Heero was frying his brain with all his thought process, Duo droned on his one-sided conversation in the background.

The car stopped in a deserted parking lot at the outskirts of the East District. As Duo stepped out of the car, he could not stop the shiver the cold air hit him with. The intelligence had told them they would be attacking here, but Duo highly doubted so. Heero had similar ideas, it seemed, when the car behind Duo promptly drove off, leaving him stranded in the middle of the parking lot.

"Heero!" he called after the departing car, running after it.

The car sped off on the shady roads till Duo could see it no more.

"Damnit." He cursed, flipping out his mobile.

* * *

Heero grinned maniacally. Well, it was an impromptu plan, but so far it worked. He got himself alone on the hunt. Okay, so maybe it was not as impromptu, after all, he did conveniently forget to correct Duo on the mixed-up information they received from the intelligence.

He stopped his car in the stretch of road bordering on 4th avenue of East district where nightlife was pretty abundant. Where they would likely find their prey falling into their trap willingly, with the fake promises and lies. Luring them into their grotesque deaths.

A drunkard was walking in a jagged zigzag line. He tried to reach for his car, hand fishing for keys and moving unsteadily towards the keyhole.

Heero pushed himself off leaning on his car and walked towards the drunkard. The hunt had started.

* * *

"Thanks for coming, partner." Duo grinned at the driver in the black convertible. "You are a life-saver. Or you are about to be one anyway."

"Whatever. As long as this is the last time you made me drive 20 plus miles from the next district just to drive your troublesome butt around." The driver shooed Duo's arms that are leaning onto the car. "Get in."

"Your wish is my command." Duo opened the passenger door and got in with one swift movement. "Lead the way, Trowa old pal."

"And that would be?" Trowa rolled his eyes at Duo.

"Well, I guess we just have to go with our instinct."

"In other words, you have no idea."

"Hey!" Duo smacked Trowa on the arm. "I was stranded in the middle of nowhere by my new partner who is now going on his merry way to his 'solo' mission and my old partner is sneering at me. I may be a man but I have a fragile psyche, yanno!"

"Whatever you say, Duo."

"Oi."

"So where do we head?"

"Take the lane on the left."

"That leads to the main road. Further onwards, to 4th Avenue, the night town." Trowa released the handbrake.

"A town that hardly sleeps in the dark. Perfectly apt for creatures of the night, ya think?"

Trowa shrugged and stepped on the acceleration.

* * *

Heero leaned forward to touch the drunkard on his shoulder. Before he could reach, the figure emitted a weird hissing noise and shied away from his approaching hand. Heero stepped back, right hand on his sword, ready to draw it out at any threat.

_Bastard. They got to him first._ Heero mentally cursed.

A black blur shot past him on his right side.

Heero jumped away from the black object, sword drawn, sliver glinting wildly under the moonlight. He sniffed about in the air. There was an inhumanly stench. No doubt it was everything, short of the real thing.

He shoved the drunkard back on the hood of car and slashed a deep but small cut on the upper arm. Blood gushed out of the wound immediately; except that, unlike a living human, it was not exactly the oxygen-rich red but deoxygenated purplish blood. A freaking walking corpse. Damn bastards made him, no, it, into their minions. Those Onis were serious this time. And they were of superior breed no less, to be able to make and control the Undeads.

He ran to a nearby alley and rummaged through the garbage. He came up a reel of abandoned wire. He used the makeshift rope to wound about the dead drunkard.

No fire tonight. No unexplained burnt corpse. There was a superior to answer to. It was a modern and law controlled era. There are innocents everywhere. He repeatedly told himself as he tied the corpse securely and depositing it into the back of its car.

He combed his hair backwards with his hand. His stubbornly soft hair fell back messily to its original place as he sighed into the night. There was a black blur to hunt down and numerous Onis with numerous unknown skills to kill. Did he mention numerous?

Boy, what fun.

Gripping his sword tightly, he stalked onwards, in one of the bloodiest night to come.


End file.
